Flowergirl159 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 How much free time do you schedule in a school day for your children? Childrens ages are 9, 7 and 5. We are out three afternoons leaving home about 3pm, so that cuts into what would be their free time. Before school starts they half hour of outside play, they can do whatever they want as long as they are outside. Oh and each day after lunch I have scheduled 1hr of quiet time. During this time they are to be alone. They do half hour of reading then the next hr can be a craft or handiwork or more reading, but its their choice. The 5yr old has more free time of course while the others are doing academics. But just wondering how much free time others their ages have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 My kids are free to do whatever for about 7hrs a day (the time they are with their grandmother + their down time at home) We do school in intensive chunks of time in the evening and they read a lot through out the day. They don't have any outside the home activities/obligations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsmm Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 My kids get free time in the morning before we start school. For DS this means about 1-2 hours before breakfast since he is an early riser. He is up around 6am each day. DD doesn't wake until 8, so her free time is limited in the am. After breakfast they get about 20 min while I clean up. They get small chunks of time during the day while I work alone with each one. DD usually reads during her free time. DS plays with magnatiles or on the trapeze. Then depending on the day they might have time after school, but we have judo three times a week, cub scouts and brownies once or twice a month, and speech and OT once a week, so all of those things take up afternoon time. Once a week we have a half day and they have a scheduled playdate. They are very close with these kids, and they play together happily for hours on Wednesday. So I guess that counts too. My kids are 6 and 8. Oh, if it's nice out, I tend to send them outside before lunch too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I never scheduled free time for my kids. If it had to be scheduled in, I didn't think it was truly free. When my kids were your kids' ages, school took about 2-3 hours and then they were free for the rest of the day (minus evening chores). We did have quiet time, but it was Mom's Quiet Time, meaning "don't bug Mom." they could still do pretty much whatever they wanted. I hate having overly scheduled days, so I try to avoid it with my kids (although during hockey season, they are significantly busier/more scheduled). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We have school when I announce school time and the kids have a few tasks they have to complete throughout the day. We don't have any regularly scheduled outside activities. So the majority of their day is free time- depending on how long they sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We have a lot of unscheduled time at our house. Especiall since my kids are young. I really only have a kindergarteneer. We like to get our school finished by 10:30-11:00 and then she goes and plays with her sister till lunch. After lunch we have an hour of quiet time while the 4 year old naps. after her hour of quiet time she come she reads to me till her sister wakes up. then she is free to play the remainder of the day. We only really have an activity once a week that throws off this schedule. I don't really like to run around a lot. I think once a week is enough. As my kids get older I still plan on making sure that they have lots of free time to follow their hobbies and to be children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowergirl159 Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I am trying to work it so that Fridays are a free day or catch up day, depending on the week. And considering that schools here work from 9am til 3pm, surely its not that bad that we school for a similar time. Not that I am trying to replicate a school, I am just trying to fit our subjects in a reasonable time frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 My kids are similar in age to yours, OP. (10, 8, 4.5) We have tons of free time. Seriously. Sometimes I see things where people are 'in school' all day and I scratch my head and wonder if we're forgetting something major lol... School work doesn't start until after the kids have had breakfast, so usually it's around 9 or 10. A lot of times it is done by lunch or shortly thereafter. I don't allow schoolwork after 1:30-2:00. That's cutting into my time to do nothing/whatever the crap I want, and that is unacceptable. :lol: They can finish anything they have left then that night as 'homework' after dinner. Usually that isn't necessary though. Pretty much the rest of their day is free time. The weather has been horrid, which has led to a fair amount of electronics in that time, but that's just a season. When it's not so nasty out things will be different like they are every year. :) We have some structured activities, but most of what keeps us busy in the evenings is DH or I separately (me going to work or worship team practice, DH going to the squad). the only night we all go somewhere every week is Wednesday when we go to church. In the spring and fall each of the boys usually does a sport which also takes us out of the house a bit, but not a ton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Your kids probably have as much or more free time as ps kids. And I'm sure there are many hs'ers who keep a rigorous schedule. But my answer related to our hs. We just aren't that scheduled and I value the developmental opportunities afforded by free play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3girls Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We school about 4 hours a days, and they have about an hour of chores a day. Dd12 has about 2 hours of "homework". We have extra curriculars twice a week, and one or two play dates a week. Everything else is their time. How much is that? About 6 hours a free time, I guess? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I never thought about "scheduling" free time. o_0 We were usually finished by lunch, maybe 1 p.m. If we were staying home, they had free time. If not, then...not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellamoon Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Our school day is from 9am until they finish. Whis is about 90 minutes for my 1st grader and up to 4 hours for my 6th grader. We also only school 4 days a week, but we school year round. They get a ton of free time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama27 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I don't schedule anything except for classes out of our home like King Fu and acting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 My kids are 3, 6, and just about 9. Dd3 year old has no formal school, only preschool type activities when she wants. One gymnastics class per week (45 minutes) and Awana (1.5 hours). I have a sitter come twice a week for two hours to play/entertain her so I can get school done. She wakes at around 7, has a 20 minute nap during the day, and goes to bed at around 8:30. So typically, 13 hour days, most of which are self directed. Dd6 has about one hour of formal school, including reading aloud to me. She has 3 hours of gym team practice per week, Awana (1.5 hours), and Sunday school at church (1-2 hours, depending on if we go to one church or both-we are trying a few churches in the area and she's got friends at both, so sometimes we go to both lol). She wakes at around 9 and goes to bed at 9, while dd3 takes her nap, dd1 and dd2 have 'rest' time, they play a board or card game, on the iPad, or watch a video. 12 hour days, take off 1-2 hours of driving, chores, taking care of dogs, helping with meals, so about 8-9 hours per day are self directed. Dd8 has about 2.5 hours of seat work per day. She also read about 2-3 hours per day, but it's her choice, so I won't count it lol. She has 1 hour of gymnastics, 1 hour of riding lessons, 1.5 hours at Awana, and 1-2 hours at Sunday school. Half hour of rest or quiet time per day. She wakes at 8 and goes to bed at around 9-9:30, so 13 hour days, take off 1-2 hours of driving, chores, taking care of dog, and helping with meals...8-9 hours per day are self directed. We have other activities we go to during the week-Monday afternoon we meet with some other homeschoolers at a mountain park/preserve/waterfall, but their time there is free time, Sundays we have life group at a friends house, but the kids all have free time to play with each other while the parents are chatting. My kids spend a LOT of time outside, running around our yard, or the neighborhood with friends. They have a treehouse/bridge/platform thingy that dh built, and it frequent Y look out my kitchen window to find a few kids up in a tree. I'm very lucky that our neighborhood is safe and the friends we have made here are similar in relaxed parenting, and allow their children to walk down to the park together, go to the tennis courts, and in the summer, down to the pool. Many weekends, I'll be making lunch and a neighbor child will walk right in the back door. Lol. There's a 'safe feeling' with the group of kids together, so it's easier to give them freedom and free time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSOchristie Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 My littles have basically all day long, Jax's preschool takes about 20 minutes. 7 YO has an hour before we start school, and from lunch on if he works diligently from 8-11:30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowergirl159 Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Okay. I have had another look and my oldest will have about 6hrs free time most days. I think I am happy with this. We will still be getting our school done, chores, car travel, meals are all separate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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